


dancing with the demons in our minds

by biochemprincess



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-08
Updated: 2015-05-08
Packaged: 2018-03-29 12:32:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3896446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biochemprincess/pseuds/biochemprincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>jemma can't leave skye behind. (in the end she brings somebody else home.) spoilers for 2x21. inspired by the promo and the sneak peek for the season finale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	dancing with the demons in our minds

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by the promo and the sneak peek for the season finale. title by måns zelmerlöw - heroes

Skye tells her to get out, so she does.

Jemma's able to see the pure fear in her friend's eyes, silently pleading her to run as far as she can.

So she's running. She'd always been good following orders. Even though she wants to take Skye with her.

The two agents accompanying her, let her lead the way to the quinjet, which is waiting for them just outside the town.

But they don't even make it this far.

The earth shakes under her feet and Jemma has to stop running, crouching on the ground to keep her balance.

It takes her less than a few milliseconds to make the decision to turn around. It's a reflex, imprinted in her neurons. Jemma won't leave her friend behind, when she's in such a fragile emotional state.

"Get the jet ready!" she shouts at the nameless agents dressed in tactical gear, hoping they know what do to. The wind carries her words over to them when she already runs back into the lion's den. 

Jemma finds Skye not far from where she's left her and Jiaying only minutes before. The leader of the group is not with her anymore, May has taken her place instead, standing in front of Skye.

Relief circulates through her blood stream out of the sudden. They could just run off together now, before the worst. Nobody wants to fight a war, maybe they don't even have to now.

But something is off, it feels wrong. Their postures signal hostility. From her point of view, Jemma can't understand what they're talking about, but the loud volume of their voices suggests the worst. They're fighting. The war has already begun.

And then Skye raises her arms.

Jemma's seen Skye use her powers before, but not like this, never likes this. The shock waves coming from her hands have May flying through the air, until the older agent crashes on the hard ground.  
  
She wants to scream and run and help, but her feet are frozen in place, fear paralyzing every nerve of her body. She should confront her, but her body doesn't obey her orders anymore.

It cannot be real. Skye - her Skye, their Skye - wouldn't do this.

Her friend looks equally shocked, almost mortified by what she's done. A man calls her name, Jemma thinks it's Gordon, and Skye runs off in his direction.

Jemma immediately takes the chance and makes her way over to May as fast as she can.

She's unconscious and there's a gash on her forehead, bleeding heavily and her right clavicle looks like it could possibly be broken. She will definitely need a x-ray rather sooner than later.

"May. May! Please wake up." Tears threaten to spill, but Jemma pushes them back, just like every other emotion. Now is neither the right place nor the right time.

Her fingers try to feel May's pulse, but the only heartbeat she detects is her own frenzy one. At the very least she's still breathing, which is good enough for now.

Jemma desperately tries to move her, dragging May over the dirty ground and into one of the bushes lining the pavement. She thanks the universe for May's fondness of leather jackets, so the loose gravel doesn't injure her skin any further. Ironically enough it reminds her of her encounter with Sitwell. But this time May can't take care of the body.

Without warning May's eyes flutter open, clouded with pain and confusion. Jemma wishes for a penlight to check her pupils, but they obviously react to her surroundings and that's a good sign until she has more and better options.

"Can you sit up?"

Jemma pulls May into an upright position and helps her staying that way. People are running past them, but they're hidden well enough in the thicket of the plants. For now.

"Can you walk?"

"Yes, let's go."

"What about Skye?"

"She choose her side."

"But ---"

"Simmons."

Her name doesn't sound slurred, like it was said by accident. Jemma too knows that it's too late.

She wraps her arm around May's back, steadying her all the way across. The general turmoil conceals their escape rather good. They reach the quinjet faster than she'd have expected. Either May's injuries are not a severe as they look like or they're just as severe as they look and she simply acts like it's nothing.

Jemma realizes it's the second option, when the older woman slowly sink into the seats of the cockpit, barely able to keep her eyes open.

"You have to fly the jet." she simply says.

"I don't know how, May."

Out of all the things she's able to do, flying is not one of them.

"I'll show you."

"Let me check you, please." Jemma practically begs, but May only starts pushing various button on the control panel.

"We'll get you out of here first."

Jemma notices the singular, how couldn't she. "Us."

May nods weakly. "Us."

She quietly listens to the instruction she's given. She memorizes every single line, matches every button and handle with the proper operation. This is something she is good at, learning and remembering and calling up information. She's going to bring them back safely.

Her hand trembles only slightly when she takes steering wheel and the plane lifts off. 

 

* * *

 

"You really don't want a local anaesthetic?"

"Yeah, she has some good stuff."

"Oh Fitz, don't call it that."

If the situation was different, May would be happy for Fitz and Simmons, that they were finally on better terms again. But it's not and so she keeps it to herself. There'd be time enough afterwards.

"I don't need it. Go ahead."

May barely registers the pain, it's something she can manage. The pain is not the problem. Not this time.

Jemma drenches a cotton swab in disinfectant and gently cleans the cut, before starting to stitch it up.

"Do you think they did something to Skye?" Fitz sounds so incredibly young, so faithful, it breaks her heart. He can't believe that his friend would betray him, not after he has lost so many of them before.

"I think Skye only wants to protect her family."

"We are her family." He crosses his arms defensively in front of his chest.

"We're not like her."

It's Jemma who answers, before May can. But she'd have said the same. Jemma understands, just as much as she does. The transition Skye went through left her changed. And none of them can understand it the way the Inhumans do.

"But we were her family first."

"That's not how it works, Fitz." Jemma sighs, her voice weary. They all are tired, exhausted, distracted. But out of all of them, May thinks, Jemma has the best understanding of the situation. Clinical and sterile and removed from all of this.

It shouldn't be that way.

Fitz doesn't object, but stays with them until Simmons finishes the suture. She smiles approvingly at her work.

"We should do a x-ray of ---"

"Later." She'd have to find Coulson first and prepare the base and the team for what was ahead. War is coming to her door steps. A war she had the tasted for the first time, seven years ago far away from home.

"But what about your shoulder?"

"It can wait."

May gets up, completely ignoring the jolts of pain in her shoulder. Physical pain is something she can endure.

"What do we do now?" Jemma asks, always the brave soldier. One day soon, after this is over, May will talk to her about it and find a way to help her. For now she sees the determined demeanor and is glad to know that she'll handle herself. And so will Fitz, mimicking Jemma's move. They'll be alright.

"We will fight. And we will try to bring Skye home to us. If she wants to."

 


End file.
